Papa Johns franchise owner Joe Johnson is building better businesses, better leaders and a better world

Joe Johnson was alone in a Maine hotel room when his life changed. He was 21, living out of his suitcase as he traveled from state to state working for a tech company, and had a lot of time to read books and listen to podcasts. This is when he was first introduced to the franchise business and how athletes-turned-businessmen Magic Johnson and Junior Bridgeman were building wealth and effecting change in their communities. “I called up my girlfriend, now my wife Ralonda, and told her, ‘I know what I want to do’.”

In that solitary hotel room, he knew he wasn’t alone anymore; “to me, it felt like they were holding up a mirror. Because now you see yourself. I’m sitting (here) today because of black representation… because of Magic Johnson, Junior Bridgeman, Valerie Daniels Carter.”??

With a goal in mind, Joe spent the next nine years building networks, collaborating and learning before opening his first Papa Johns location in Philadelphia in 2016. Since then, he and his team (which includes his wife Ralonda and partners David Rothman and Malcolm Jenkins) have opened 15 stores and counting along the East Coast.?

Ownership is the first step to improving representation

But ownership was always just the beginning; effecting long-term wealth disparity in Black and brown communities is what drives Joe. Because right now, one-third of the U.S. population is Black or Hispanic but only 18% are franchise owners.* Joe is working to make sure the franchise industry looks like America as a whole.?

To do that, he aims to do what Johnson, Bridgeman and Carter did for him: hold up a mirror so others can see themselves getting access to a world they previously believed didn’t belong to them.

And he does that every day in multiple ways. First, by making sure his team represents the communities they serve. “65% of our leadership team is Black or brown so when we’re having those conversations… there’s a diversity of thought and perspective to make a more informed decision.”

He’s also working to increase the number of operators from communities of color in the franchise space through new business ventures, like Athlete Franchise Partners, which educates professional athletes on franchise opportunities and introduces them to possible partners, and Our Slice, which connects those same athletes with Black and brown entrepreneurs who may not have access to the necessary capital, but do have a depth of operational knowledge.?

Building a community starts by taking care of the community

Joe’s commitment to community and representation are just some of the reasons why he joined the Board of Directors for The Papa John’s Foundation for Building Community. Since 2020, the Foundation has raised more than $8.8 million to support organizations working to provide hunger relief, reduce food waste and build the leaders of tomorrow. This includes $2.5 million in grants through the Foundation’s Building Community Fund, which empowers franchise partners to apply for grants on behalf of local organizations addressing critical needs within their respective communities.

Joe’s group, for example, has assisted in directing $70,000 in grants to local organizations that are “doing tremendous work on the ground, particularly with at-risk youth. We can change the trajectory of someone’s life.” He’s even had the opportunity to give back to organizations that helped him when he was young, such as The Boys & Girls Club.?

Joe is evidence that one person – working together with the right partners – can make a difference. And his advice for anyone passionate about effecting change through business is “be intentional. If your goal is inclusivity, diversity, you have to walk the talk, whether that’s with who you hire… where you invest… or where you’re recruiting.”?

With more business leaders like Joe committed to changing the face of the franchise business, every person and every community can see themselves as a success story about to happen.?

*Restaurant Business, 2021